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TB reemerging in Europe
Recent data indicate TB may be more widespread than many people believe.
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BARCELONA, Spain – A recent increase in the number of patients with tuberculosis reported in Europe has left public health officials concerned about a potential reemergence of the disease, previously thought to be nearly eradicated from the continent.
According to results of several studies presented at the 18th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, held here in April, many patients may have developed TB while abroad and brought the disease to Europe.
“Tuberculosis was believed to be almost eradicated, but in the past few years we have observed a dramatic reemergence of this disease all over Europe,” Robert Read, PhD, professor at the school of medicine and biomedical sciences at Sheffield University in the United Kingdom, said at a press conference. “In Europe and worldwide, there are more cases of TB today than 20 years ago; there is no country that has eliminated it or come close to eliminating it.”
Data indicate that TB may be more widespread than many people believe and may increasingly be affecting patients in geographical areas not traditionally considered at risk for the disease.
According to Read’s data, in Western Europe, Portugal has the highest TB rate (31 cases per 100,000 residents). Data also indicate an increasing prevalence of TB in Central and Eastern European countries, particularly those in the Baltic area.
Public health officials have reported increased rates of TB among immigrant populations, but many of these patients did not develop TB until after leaving their native country. According to results of a new study by Spanish researchers, the risk of TB among immigrants may be a consequence of substandard hygiene and lower socioeconomic conditions experienced in host countries. Further adding to the spread of TB among the general population, these patients often wait weeks or months before seeking medical treatment in their new country.
The researchers, from the Catalonia Institute of Health in Barcelona, Spain, examined rates of TB among immigrants in Barcelona from 1996 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2005.
The results showed that during both study periods, 95% of people immigrating to Spain came from countries where the TB rate is at least 50 cases per 100,000 residents.
From 1996 to 2000, 6% of new TB diagnoses in Spain were in immigrants. By the 2001 to 2005 period, this rate had increased to 21.8%.
But the overall rate of TB in Spain has decreased in recent years, from 20.8 cases per 100,000 residents in 2001 to 18.4 cases per 100,000 residents in 2005. The TB rate among native Spaniards also decreased during this time, from 18.8 cases per 100,000 residents to 14.8 cases per 100,000 residents.
“The foreign-born have emerged as the largest single component of the burden of TB in most industrialized countries,” the researchers wrote. “As TB incidence decreases among those born in Spain, increases in the proportion of immigrants among TB cases have been reported.” – by Jay Lewis
For more information:
- Pina J, Ferrer A, Sala RM, Terrassa ES. Immigration and tuberculosis evolution in Catalonia central region: 1996-2005. #P1554. Presented at: The 18th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases; April 19-22, 2008; Barcelona, Spain.